The present invention relates in general to integrated mechanical and acoustic energy mitigation that incorporate a sound absorption device in body structures of road vehicles, and, more specifically, to a roof system for a passenger cabin having energy absorbing characteristics.
Energy absorbing body structures are often used in the interior surfaces of passenger cabins in vehicles such as in the roof area in order to absorb energy of motion (i.e., mechanical energy) of persons in the passenger compartment hurled against the roof during an accident. Sound absorption devices may also be incorporated with the energy absorber in order to attenuate the noise (i.e., acoustic energy) entering the passenger cabin.
An energy absorber with a sound absorption device is disclosed in WO02/102450, wherein the energy absorber comprises structures of composite material with sound attenuating segments. A thermoplastic fiber mesh with a sound barrier is described as a sound absorption device in U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,062. Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 8,186,748 refers to the possibility of providing a sound absorption device in an overhead system. Modules with energy absorbing structures with a plurality of apertures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,593.